


Rose Tattoo

by koalaboy, Texeoghea



Series: JC And JB's Adventures In Hell [13]
Category: DC Comics, Hellblazer, Justice League Dark, The Demon - Fandom
Genre: Adoption, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Alternate Universe - John Saves Astra, Alternate Universe - Tattoo Parlor, Drabble, Familial Relationships, Klarion is a little shit and Jason begrudgingly loves him anyways, M/M, Slow Burn, Twisting Canon For Fun and Profit, father-son bonding, magical flowers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-15
Updated: 2019-04-15
Packaged: 2020-01-14 13:28:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18477175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/koalaboy/pseuds/koalaboy, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Texeoghea/pseuds/Texeoghea
Summary: Jason glanced up to greet whoever had come in, and blinked in shock to see that it was the man who owned the tattoo parlor across the street, and a little girl with him, wild curly black hair bouncing as she dashed inside. The man next to Jason chuckled, then turned to Jason and shrugged, “Kids.” Jason smiled. “Can I help you?”





	Rose Tattoo

**Author's Note:**

> yeah i don't have anything to say for myself here. enjoy the gays

“This is stupid,” Etrigan snarled in the back of his head for probably the millionth time. “That is your opinion, yes,” Jason replied, checking on all the flowers and plants in his greenhouse to make sure they were all alright before turning on the sprinklers and checking his desk. Nothing had been broken into or stolen, which was good. He flicked the rest of his lights on and switched the sign to “OPEN”, settling down at the desk and pulling out a book and ignoring any further comment from his pet demon. It was still fairly early in the morning, but Jason’s insomnia had forced him to stay up, and he thought he might as well be productive. Glancing at the clock, the glowing face said “5:43 AM”. A bit early to be watering the plants, but oh well. Soon, people would be up and about, and the busy street would keep him company.  
The idea to open a flower shop had been an inspired one, at the least. Jason had always adored flowers and plants, since he was just a boy, human as could be. When he was bound to the demon- after all the drama that came with it, of course- he realized that he might very well outlive some of the plant species he adored so much. So, he took some seeds, and with a few simple spells, froze them without damaging them, so that in the future, he might plant them again. Now, with a house, a job, and a way to keep both of those, he felt the time was right to fulfill his hobby of gardening. Regular, modern plants grew in his greenhouse as well, poppies and roses and sunflowers, forget-me-nots and lilies and morning glories, but sprinkled between were carnivorous plants, such as pitcher plants and flytraps, exotic plants that he couldn’t really explain his having if anybody asked, as well as the ancient plants he had saved. Those needed special care, and sat together in one side of the greenhouse, so he could keep an eye on them. It was a good way to relieve stress, taking care of the flowers. Miss Isley visited him when he first opened the shop, and after seeing all the rare specimens he had, and how well he had been taking care of them, she’d begrudgingly left him without a fight.  
The weird shit that happens in Gotham ever ceases to amaze, he supposed.  
After reading for a few hours, he glanced up again to see that the sun had risen into the sky, momentarily safe from the clouds that plagued the city. His greenhouse was in a better part of town, less in danger from petty crooks, though still in range of a few members of Batman’s rogue gallery. Nowhere was safe in the city when it came to them. The road was decorated with multiple cute, small shops, a bakery, an ice cream store, a tattoo parlor, a book shop that Jason liked to explore every once in a while… a pleasant enough place overall. The tattoo parlor was a new addition, and had taken over the old yoga studio after the owner had an unfortunate run-in with the Joker. It seemed to only be open a few times a week, and Jason had absolutely no clue how it ever got enough money to stay open, since he’d only ever noticed about three people going in. The owner appeared to be a blond-haired man in a long, tan coat. Jason hadn’t recognized him by name, but was sure he had seen the man somewhere before. Etrigan had laughed at him, but refused to explain why, as he was wont to do.  
The bell above the door rang, and Jason looked down to see Klarion, who frequently came in to bother him. “Have another plant for me, do you?” Jason asked, sliding a bookmark between the pages and placing his book on the counter. Klarion hopped up and slid the shimmering pink-and-purple flower in front of him. It was glowing ever so slightly in the sun, and smelled sweet as candy. Jason touched the petals gently. “And what would you like for this, little hellion?” Klarion grinned and Teekl pounced up onto the counter to rub against Jason’s arm. “We want cookies,” he demanded. “The soft ones with the pink icing.”  
“Lofthouse Sugar Cookies,” Jason supplied. “Yes. Those. We want those.” Jason sighed and carefully lifted the potted flower. “I still can’t believe I’ve agreed to take plants you steal from Faerie in return for giving you snacks,” He marvelled as he placed it with the others that Klarion had brought him. Among others, there was a flower that was definitely carnivorous in nature, a rose seemingly made out of crystal that changed colors constantly, a blue flower the same shade as Klarion’s blue skin, and flecked with baby blue dots that glimmered in the light. It was very obvious the boy had picked that one because it looked like him. These flowers weren’t for sale, but Jason did love collecting rare and magical plants, so he kept them. “So, when can we go?” Klarion pressed. “Well, the shop is open, and boys your age should be in school right now,” Jason sighed. “We can go to the store and you can pressure me to buy more snacks than we agreed to after 3 o’clock. Would you like to help me with the customers until then?” Klarion wrinkled his nose and scoffed, “No,” even as he went to pull out an apron that matched Jason’s from the back closet. Jason smiled. A week or so earlier, a woman had told Jason that it was heartwarming to see a man and his son taking care of flowers and plants together, which had made Klarion make a retching noise, which made Etrigan cackle with laughter and Jason giggle behind his hand. If Klarion weren’t such a handful with his incredible level of power, Jason might even ask, but as it were, the boy was perfectly capable of handling himself, nevermind the fact that he had a magical beast as his familiar. Jason was content to simply supply the kid some parental affection every once in a while, now that Klarion wasn’t trying to murder or kidnap him because he felt like it. Besides, he was surprisingly good with the plants, and surprisingly polite when speaking to people. He was over next to the pitcher plants, explaining to a girl about his age how it worked as Jason was ringing up her mother when the door’s bell chimed.  
Jason glanced up to greet whoever had come in, and blinked in shock to see that it was the man who owned the tattoo parlor across the street, and a little girl with him, wild curly black hair bouncing as she dashed inside. Klarion looked up, his eyes shining red for a moment before his glamor settled again as the girl raced past. They both felt it as soon as the two walked in, the man and his daughter had powerful magic energies around them. “Hey, be careful!” Klarion cried, chasing after the girl. The man next to Jason, who he finally recognized from an incident a year or so ago, where Bruce had called him in to deal with a demon infestation, chuckled and said, “Astra, don’t harass the poor boy,” though she was definitely not listening. He turned to Jason and shrugged, “Kids.” Jason smiled. “Can I help you?” He asked politely. “Oh, you wanna do more than that,” Etrigan purred in the back of his head, and Jason mentally told him to shut up before he had to deal with a soliloquy on getting a crush on some random guy that smiled at him. At some point, Etrigan was going to get him back for interrupting his rhymes, but he didn’t care.  
The other man shrugged. “Astra wanted to come in, and it’s impossible to say no to her, so here I am. And some flowers might spruce up the house.” Jason nodded, sighing gently as Teekl hopped up onto the counter to nap in the sun, knocking papers and his book off and out of her way. "Oh, hello," The man greeted, and Teekl meowed delicately in response before curling up and placing her tail daintily over her nose. Jason picked the book up and placed it in a drawer, leaving the papers there for now. “So, how long has this shop been here? I’ve never noticed it before Astra pointed it out.” He reached to pet Teekl, but she narrowed her eyes at him, and he slowly pulled his hand back. “Oh, I don’t know, a few years? I’ve lost track of time.” The irony of that wasn’t lost on Jason, though the other man didn’t catch it. He held out his hand. “John Constantine,” he said. “I think Astra might take a bit to find one she wants. She can be picky if it suits her.” Jason shook his hand. “Jason Blood, at your service,” He said automatically. John smiled.

“Who was that?” Klarion asked, after Astra had picked a beautiful lily to take home, and they’d left after paying. “I feel like I recognized him. And he’s magic, they both were.” Jason nodded. “His name’s John,” he said. “I think I unofficially met him on League business, but I barely know any of those people, and we were in the middle of a battle, so there was hardly time for introductions.”  
“Do you have a crush on him?” Klarion asked, because he was obviously born to torture Jason. He flushed and sputtered, and Klarion nodded wisely. “He looks like he has cooties. Let’s go get ice cream.” He got on his tiptoes to pull Teekl off of the counter, much to her loud complaint, though she curled up on his shoulders without a problem. She was practically as big as he was, maine coons were a huge breed, but he walked like she weighed less than a feather as he stepped out the door. “I thought you wanted cookies,” Jason finally cried, pulling off his apron and flipping the sign to “CLOSED”, barely remembering to lock the door behind him as he followed Klarion down the street. The boy giggled and walked faster. “Why not both?” He asked, twirling in a circle. “See, you’re proving my point,” Jason grouched. “I’m being taken advantage of by a ten year old with an angry fur boa. Unbelievable.” He sighed as he followed Klarion down the street, resigning himself to his fate of dealing with Klarion on a sugar rush.


End file.
